CV NEWS FEED // Support for legal abortion for any reason has risen in the U.S. since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, according to a recent poll from The Associated Press and NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
The poll was conducted from June 20-24, 2024 among 1,088 adults drawn from NORC’s AmeriSpeak Panel. When participants were asked if they supported legal abortion in their state for any reason, 61% said yes.
According to the poll, the percentage of people supporting abortion in all cases has risen since the same poll conducted in 2021, one year before Dobbs v. Jackson returned abortion legislation to the state level. In 2021, 49% of respondents supported legal abortion for any reason.
In the 2024 poll, Democrats (83%) were more likely than Republicans (38%) to support abortions in any instance. Women were also more likely than men to say the same thing (63% vs. 59%).
The percentage of those supporting abortion for any reason rose in each polled group by at least eight points between 2021 and 2024.
According to AP, the majority of those polled supported abortion within the first trimester of pregnancy (76%), but less supportive of abortion in the second trimester (54% supporting abortion of a 15-week baby, 30% supporting abortion of 24-week baby).
More than 8 in 10 Americans also thought that states should allow abortion in three specific cases: where the mother’s health is in danger, where a fetal abnormality would result in a baby’s death outside the womb, or instances where the pregnancy was a result of rape or incest.
Roughly two-thirds of participants said that Congress should pass a law guaranteeing access to abortions across the country, while 7 in 10 said that they would oppose a nationwide ban on abortion or abortions after 6 weeks of pregnancy.
AP also reported that many participants supported laws protecting abortion access, including those that allow a person to obtain an abortion in another state (60%), uphold access to contraception (67%), or ensure that physicians who performed abortions will not suffer fines or serve prison time (59%). Democrats were more likely than Republicans to support all three pro-abortion laws.
54% of all participants supported requiring abortionists to notify parents or legal guardians before performing an abortion on a minor, and another 54% supported prescribing abortion pills and mailing them throughout the country.
The poll also found that roughly half of participants said the decision about having an abortion should be made by the pregnant woman alone or in consultation with her physician, not by lawmakers.
